“You mean I won’t see you again before you go?” said Flell.
“I have to leave at dawn,” said Arren. He paused. “Look, tell you what, I promised Bran I’d meet him down at the Red Rat this evening for a few drinks. D’you want to come?”
Flell finished off her tea. “Not if he gets drunk and starts making lewd remarks again.”
Arren grinned. “I’ll keep an eye on him. Gern should be there.”
“All right, I’ll come,” said Flell. She stood up, lifting Thrain onto her shoulder. “Here, let me help you with that,” she added, lifting the roll of leather. “Your arm must hurt.”
“It’s not too bad,” said Arren, but he let her take it to the door for him anyway. There, he gave her a quick hug. “I’ll see you in a while, all right?”
She kissed him again as she handed over the roll of leather. “Make sure you’re there, Arren.”
“I will be.” Arren tucked the leather under his arm. “You know . . .”
“Yes?”
Arren paused, and then shook his head. “No, never mind.”
“No, what is it?” said Flell.
“I’ll tell you when I get back,” said Arren. “See you later.”
Flell stood at her doorway and watched him go, and he frowned once he was out of earshot. He hated to leave her like this.
Once they were in the street, in a clear patch, he took Eluna’s harness from inside the roll of leather where he’d stowed it. “Do you want to fly to my parents’ place?” he asked her.
Eluna eyed the harness, saying nothing.
“We can ride the crates down, if you’d prefer,” Arren added. “But I thought since we’re going to be flying to Rivermeet maybe we should get in practice. What d’you think?”
Eluna cocked her head. “We’ll fly,” she said at last.
“All right. Hold still.”
Arren attached the harness to Eluna’s chest and neck. There were straps to hold it in place that crossed over her chest and went around her forelegs. Arren tightened them carefully, not wanting to cause her any discomfort. She shifted irritably a couple of times, but made no complaint. Once he was done, Arren climbed onto her back, settling down between her neck and wings, just over her shoulder blades. The harness had a pair of simple leather stirrups hanging off it, and Arren slipped his feet into them and took hold of the harness in front of him. People had gathered to watch, but he ignored them. He looked down at the roll of leather, lying on the street where he’d left it. “Can you carry it for me, Eluna?”
The white griffin snatched it up in her talons. “Are you ready?”
Arren tightened his grip on the harness. “Yes.”
“Then hold on.” Eluna tensed and then made a short, hobbling run down the street, wings opening as she went. Arren bounced up and down on her back, cushioned by her feathers, holding on grimly. Her head jerked up and down, threatening to dislodge him, and then, without warning, she leapt. Her wings beat furiously, lifting the pair of them into the air. She was rising, wings lashing, bucking wildly in the sky. Arren lay flat against her neck, eyes closed. He started to panic. Had she done this the last time they’d flown? What if she was about to fall?
The thought terrified him. Even though he forced himself to keep his eyes shut, his brain showed him an image of the ground rushing up to meet him. His stomach lurched horribly. For a moment he thought he was falling, down and down, the wind ripping at him. He bit back a yell, and then Eluna’s voice broke through the spell. “Let go!” she shouted.
Arren realised he was nearly strangling her. He loosed his grip as the griffin steadied and flew in a wide circle over the city. When he looked down he realised the buildings were tiny and distant. Vertigo seized hold of him, and he retched. “Oh gods.”
“Calm down,” Eluna snapped. “Hold still; I cannot balance.”
She was listing forward slightly in the air, he realised. He pulled himself together and, to avoid looking down, watched the feathers on her neck moving in the wind. His nausea receded gradually.
Eluna flew away over the city. “You are heavier than I remember,” she remarked. Arren didn’t reply, and she must have felt how tense he was. “Are you still afraid of falling ?” she asked.
“No,” Arren lied.
“Arren, it was years ago,” said Eluna. “Can you forget it?”